NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation
NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI) was formally established in Jan 2015 as the focal research program for synthetic biology at the National University of Singapore. SynCTI operates as a highly interdisciplinary research core that amalgamates leading Principal Investigators from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering. Through research collaborations with renowned international institutes and private industries, SynCTI strives to create new knowledge and develop foundational technologies in synthetic biology and groom future generations of highly skilled researchers endowed with basic science and translational research capabilities.
To create new knowledge and foundational technologies in synthetic biology, with the overall aim of solving grand challenges in society and developing a world-class research program in synthetic biology.
To anchor Singapore as one of the leading Synthetic Biology Hubs in the world and to develop novel biological and biologically-based systems with advanced clinical and industrial applications.
I am delighted and honored to head the NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI). Since our commencement in 2015, we have now grown to an organization with more than 100 exceptionally talented researchers dedicated to working on interdisciplinary research areas in synthetic biology to address current challenges in the manufacturing, health and environment sectors.
Our flagship research programs at SynCTI cover a wide variety of specialty areas, including developing contactless biosensors, repurposing novel microbial strains, understanding the impact of microbial communities on human health and building a synthetic yeast chromosome.
Our state-of-the-art Singapore BioFoundry at SynCTI houses robotics and automation equipment, which makes design and screening of functional organisms more efficient. As part of the Global BioFoundries Alliance (GBA), our BioFoundry joins in the effort to build a strong, global bio-based economy through synergistic collaborations among leading BioFoundries across the world.
Our effort to build a synthetic biology community locally in Singapore has led to the creation of a strong ecosystem where we work together with key corporate partners such as Wilmar and Agilent and have fostered several industry partnerships through the Singapore Consortium for Synthetic Biology (SINERGY).
My vision going forward for SynCTI is to encourage our researchers to take on arduous challenges of the 21st century, and catalyze the creation and translation of technologies to add value to the industry and society, thereby consolidating Singapore’s position as a global leader in synthetic biology.
